In gridiron football, cut blocking is an offensive line technique that consists of an offensive player knocking a defensive player down by hitting his knees. [1] The technique, which was initially instilled by Bobb McKittrick, the offensive line coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1999, [2] is often criticized as being "dirty." [3] Additionally, it is illegal for an offensive player to "cut" a defensive player already engaged with another offensive player. This is considered a "chop block", not a cut block. In the NCAA, cut blocking is allowed as long as the block is away from the original position of the ball. [3] The Fall Experimental Football League and the NFL banned use of the chop block but the cut block remains a legal block in the NFL. [4]
McKittrick was credited as the first to implement cut blocking in his offensive line schemes as the offensive line coach of the 49ers. Les Steckel, the offensive line coach for the Houston Oilers from 1995 to 1999, used cut blocking techniques. [5] Mike Shanahan, the 49ers' offensive coordinator from 1992 to 1994, became the Denver Broncos' head coach in 1995, and brought Alex Gibbs along to become his offensive line coach. In the span from 1995 to 2003 in which Gibbs coached the team's offensive line and implemented the cut blocking technique, the Broncos won two Super Bowls (XXXII and XXXIII). Shanahan remained the Broncos' head coach until 2008, and Gibbs was hired by the Atlanta Falcons in 2004. [6] He implemented the technique in his three seasons with the Falcons before he was hired by Gary Kubiak, the offensive coordinator of the Broncos in his time there, to become the offensive line coach of the Houston Texans in 2008. [7]
In a Monday Night Football game between the Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals on October 25, 2004, offensive tackle George Foster of the Broncos legally used a cut block on defensive tackle Tony Williams of the Bengals, which resulted in a dislocation and fracture of Williams' ankle. [8] On another Monday Night Football game between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills on September 11, 2023, the Jets' Duane Brown used a cut block on the Bills' Leonard Floyd, but Floyd was able to jump over the block and sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which resulted in a tear to Rodgers' Achilles and ending his season just four plays in. [9]
The West Coast offense is an offense in American football that places a greater emphasis on passing than on running.
Michael Edward Shanahan is an American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he led the team to two consecutive Super Bowl victories in XXXII and XXXIII; along with being the first Super Bowl championships in team history, they were the seventh team to win consecutive Super Bowls in NFL history. His head coaching career spanned a total of twenty seasons and also included stints with the Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins. He is the father of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
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In American football, blocking or interference involves legal movements in which one player uses his body to obstruct another player's path. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players from tackling the ball carrier, or to protect a quarterback who is attempting to pass, hand off or run the ball. Offensive linemen and fullbacks tend to do the most blocking, although wide receivers are often asked to help block on running plays and halfbacks may be asked to help block on passing plays, while tight ends perform pass blocking and run blocking if they are not running routes to receive passes. Overall, blocking is a skill that virtually every football player may be required to do at some point, even defensive players in the event of a turnover.
Gary Wayne Kubiak is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos before coaching, serving as head coach for the Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013 and the Broncos from 2015 to 2016 before stepping down from the position on January 1, 2017, citing health reasons.
Michael Heimerdinger was an American football coach who held various coordinator and position coach roles during 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He began his career by coaching high school football in Illinois, and then held positions with six different college football teams. Heimerdinger died at the age of 58 in 2011, after suffering from cancer.
Kyle Michael Shanahan is an American football coach who is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, whose offense in 2016 led the league in points scored and helped the team reach Super Bowl LI. Shanahan became the head coach of the 49ers the following season, whom he has led to three division titles, four postseason appearances, four NFC Championship Game appearances, and two Super Bowl appearances.
Gregory Fishbeck Knapp was an American professional football coach in the National Football League (NFL). He served as an assistant coach for 25 seasons with the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football and later coached at California State University, Sacramento.
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